On Oct. 28, Tyler, The Creator released his eighth studio album “CHROMAKOPIA” just a few days after teasing it on social media. Comprised of 14 tracks featuring some of hip-hop’s hottest rappers, Tyler, The Creator explores relationship dilemmas, coming to terms with sexuality and paranoia.
In 2024, some of the music industry’s biggest stars released their latest albums with marketing centralized around the color green; notably, Charli xcx’s “BRAT” album and Clairo’s “Charm.”
Tyler, The Creator, has also followed the extension of this trend with the promotion of “CHROMAKOPIA” and subtly nodding to his signature Golf green-colored hats from over a decade ago.
While it might seem like Tyler is just following the atypical habits of artists this year, “CHROMAKOPIA” is just as culturally resetting as past albums and shows a new Tyler that fans have never seen.
“CHROMAKOPIA” begins with “St. Chroma” featuring vocals from Daniel Caesar, a song that was originally shared as a promoter for the album.
“You are the light / It's not on you, it's in you / Don't you ever in your motherf*****g life dim your light for nobody,” Tyler’s mother states in the beginning of the track, similar blips of her voice are featured throughout the album.
The second track on the album, “Rah Tah Tah,” ” creates an eerie feeling for the listener with its melody accompanied by hard-hitting beats and an analog style featuring Tyler rapping in a more angsty and chaotic voice.
“St. Chroma” discusses the metaphor of light inside of Tyler—which embodies the alias Saint Chroma seen in the music video. Referring to his creative journey, where Caesar croons’s “Can you feel the light inside? / Can you feel that fire?” in the chorus.
In the outro of “Rah Tah Tah,”, Tyler repeats the stanza “I'm paranoid now 'cause n****s weird and really bums,” which creates a seamless transition to the Oct. 2 single “Noid.”
The third track, “Noid,” features Tyler reflecting on moments of being “paranoid” within stardom and feeling threatened. When initially listening to this single, it felt a bit underwhelming but also like it was just a piece of the puzzle of “CHROMAKOPIA” that only fit when listening to the album as a whole.
Tyler specifically laments about his social anxiety when meeting fans and the overwhelming paparazzi.
Tyler, the Creator has been known to not interact with fans as much as other celebrities and advocates for personal boundaries with artists, according to Rolling Stone.
The following track, “Darling, I” featuring Teezo Touchdown, Tyler samples the beat from Snoop Dogg’s 2004 song “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and discusses his frustration with monogamous relationships and the mixed feelings of wanting love but also sexual freedom.
On the second verse, Tyler raps, “See, monogamy, that shit is not for me (Nah) / One option for everybody? Don't you lie to me (Don't you lie) / Too many rules, I'm too curious to try to be
/ Hidin' things, feelin' shame build inside of me.”
“Hey Jane” sees Tyler reflecting on his anxiety over an unwanted pregnancy and he addresses his alleged partner throughout the lyrics, while “I Killed You” talks about the complicated relationship Tyler has with his Black identity and hair.
One of the more memorable tracks on the album, “Judge Judy” has a buttery smooth sound that highlights Tyler’s vocal abilities while he protests against “slut-shaming,” which refers to the societal judgment women often face from their sexual experiences.
“Sticky” literally flips the album halfway to a hardcore dance cut that features “stepping,” a form of Black art featuring clapping, stomping and spoken word primarily performed by African-American fraternities and sororities, according to Step Afrika.
Tyler collaborates with Glorilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne on this track where they embrace self-worth and layers of multiple meanings in the lyrics.
Surprisingly, Tyler unapologetically raps “N***a, give a f**k 'bout pronouns, I'm that n***a and that b***h” which further complicates notions about queerness and gender identities leading to the next track.
My personal favorite song on the album is the ninth track, “Take Your Mask Off,” where Tyler shares multiple perspectives of hiding one’s queerness.
Interestingly, the character of “CHROMAKOPIA,” Saint Chroma, wears a mask all throughout the visual teasers and on the album cover artwork but Tyler urges listeners to avoid hiding their true identities.
In the first verse, Tyler describes a middle-class, academic young person who turned to gang violence to avoid being perceived as a “b***h.”
The second verse features Tyler rapping about a closeted gay preacher who attempts to “rebuke his sin” by living an ultra religious life which in the end, doesn’t help him.
“Had you thinkin' God would hate you so you covered it up / Gotta hide how you live, what you really enjoy / So got a wife, got a kid, but you be f*****' them boys / Sick of all the shame, sick of all the pain that's within,” Tyler raps.
Between these verses, Daniel Caesar sings “And I hope you find yourself / And I hope you take your mask off.”
Tyler references a woman who is questioning her sexuality after being married, having children living her ideal life and seemingly talks to himself in the last verse.
“Tomorrow” sees Tyler reflecting on the fact that he hasn’t had children yet and time seems to be running out over a melancholic instrumental.
The last couple tracks present the ideas of Tyler being in the likeness of his unknown father in “Like Him” and power-pumped tracks like “Thought I Was Dead” and “Balloon.”
In the closing track “I Hope You Find Your Way Home,” Tyler concludes the album with a long-form track on finding yourself similar to the themes of “Take Your Mask Off.”
Tyler, The Creator has made quite the career for himself over the past decade exploring different genres of music, his own sexuality, redefining fashion and being true to himself.
Creative albums like “IGOR” or “GOBLIN” have always taken a while to grow on me as a Tyler, The Creator fan. Initially, I thought “CHROMAKOPIA” might have not hit the right note that fans were expecting but I soon changed my mind after a couple listens.
“CHROMAKOPIA” is not just another album or era for Tyler, The Creator; it’s a new lens that listeners are able to see him through in sound and lyric that surpasses all preconceived notions. In other words, his mask is now off.
